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Wing Commander technology and vehicles
Like any science fiction series Wing Commander has a wide array of fictional technology, vehicles and vessels, some of which are: Technology Engines * Jump Drive In the Wing Commander universe, the gravitational fields of stars and other objects of greater-than-planetary mass create natural wormholes that connect neighboring stars to each other. The points in normal space that are connected by these wormholes are known as "Jump Points". Only by using a Jump Drive can a spacecraft "open" a wormhole at a Jump Point and pass through to the other end. The Jump Drive (or Akvende Drive, after its creator) functions by creating a beam of anti-gravitons which nullify the gravitational force that normally squeezes the mouth of the wormhole shut like a sphincter. However, due to their short lifespan, anti-gravitons can not be projected beyond a range of about one kilometer from the point where they are generated before decaying. This limits the size of Jump-capable vessels, as all parts of the vessel must be within this radius unless it mounts secondary emitters synchronized with the primary drive. * Hopper Drive After the invention of the Jump Drive, it was discovered that it was possible to create artificial, temporary wormholes by generating powerful focused bursts of gravitons. This led to the development of the Hopper Drive. When engaged, the Hopper Drive creates a wormhole with one end near itself and the other end extended in the desired direction in three-dimensional space. The artificial wormhole lasts just long enough for the vessel generating it to pass through safely, and collapses immediately afterward. Because faster-than-light travel is not possible in the Wing Commander universe, the Hopper Drive is the only means of quickly traveling to places that are far away from any Jump Points, such as deep interstellar space or those few stars lacking Jump Points. Furthermore, it is possible to Hop across a single solar system, saving hours or days of sublight travel. However, the Hopper Drive has two drawbacks that make the use of Jump Drives preferable whenever possible. First, the wormholes created do not extend over interstellar distances--it requires dozens of successive Hops to travel to a neighboring star. Second, a ship cannot Hop twice in rapid succession--the Drive needs a period of rest before it can be used again. For this reason, ship commanders are discouraged from using a Hop to ambush an enemy by dropping into their midst, as ofttimes Hopping may be the only means of retreat if an engagement turns bad, so it is preferable to save your ship's Hop for emergencies. Very few vessels carry both Jump and Hopper drives because the two interfere with each other's operation--for either one to operate properly, the other one must be powered down. The time delay involved in switching between the two drives presents a tactical disadvantage since a vessel can neither Jump nor Hop until the required engine is on-line and ready. Besides, there are very few tactically valuable locations that are completely inaccessible to vessels using only Jump drives (deep space, isolated stars). Weapons Personal M-47 Laser Rifle Standard-issue Confed infantry weapon of 2667. (End Run, p. 170). Neutron Minigun Thirty-kilo anti-personnel weapon with a fire rate of a thousand rounds per minute. Carried by Confed marines during the Vukar Tag campaign. (Ibid.) Mass Driver Scattergun Fires five hundred nail-like fletchettes in one burst. Not related to the Border Worlds Scatter Gun. (Ibid.) Stenson Drakon Popular Terran hunting rifle. Sniper-scoped versions are capable of dropping a Vegan sabre tooth from a mile away. (Ibid.) Fighter Guns * Laser Cannon: The weakest weapon available in every Wing Commander game, it also has one of the longest ranges, quickest refire rates, and lowest energy-consumptions per shot. * Mass driver: a weapon which fires solid-state projectiles using magnetic acceleration. Does average damage at average range, though its projectiles move slower than most. A later model, the charging mass driver, allowed pilots to 'charge' the projectile for increased range and damage, at the cost of energy consumption and the inability to fire other guns. Where the projectiles are stored, and why fighter craft never seem to run out of them, remains unaddressed, though it may be assumed that the system scavenges matter from space or from the ship's exhaust somehow. * Neutron Gun: prior to the development of the Particle Cannon, it was the strongest beam weapon that could be fielded by a fighter. Unfortunately, its range was dismal and its power requirements formidable. It was retired from front-line service by 2665, though it remained the weapon of choice for single ship-mounted defensive emplacements (turrets) for at least a year afterwards. * Particle Cannon: back-engineered from Kilrathi weaponry sometime between 2655 and 2665. Described by game lore as the opposite of the Ion Gun, it fired nuclear particles that ignited molecule-sized nuclear explosions on impact. Its refire rate, damage, range and power consumption were better than the Neutron Gun's, leading to it replacing the latter on almost all mountings. Its only downside is its inability to function in atmospheric conditions. * Photon Cannon: a variant of the laser cannon, it does more damage but requires more power and does not fire as fast. This weapon was retired in 2670 following the end of the Terran-Kilrathi War. * Ionic Pulse Cannon: More commonly known as an ion cannon, this weapon fires pulses of high-energy ions, which result in energy and radiation damage and cause extreme injuries to pilots. Strangely enough, they are less powerful than the Particle Cannon, have a shorter range, fire more slowly, and require more energy, leading one to wonder why Confederate scientists (and/or Origin Systems personnel) bothered with the weapon in the first place. **'Reaper Cannon:' this weapon improved on the Ion Cannon by halving the energy consumption and doubling the refire rate. Unfortunately the Reaper Cannon was too expensive for post-war deployment and was retired in 2670, though the Ion Cannon remains in service. **'Scatter Gun:' an ion cannon with five focusing lenses instead of one, this weapon fired five pulses at a time, generally in a five-point cross pattern. * Meson Blaster: besides imparting impact and energy damage, the Meson Blaster's projectiles decay within the target, emitting radiation. Their low energy consumption and long range is balanced by the fact that energy shielding actually deflects, redirects or otherwise prevents the weapon from dealing about half its damage, which is only average to begin with. This weapon was retired in 2670 following the end of the Terran-Kilrathi War. * Tachyon Cannon: highly destructive, with a moderately long range, high damage and an extremely fast-moving projectile. This weapon slows down tachyons, which normally move at faster-than-light velocities, and employs then to devastating potential. Introduced in 2669, it has remained in service since. The Nephilim, first encountered in the 2680s, employ a slightly weaker codenamed "Gorgon." * Plasma Gun: quite damaging, which is only logical when one understands that plasma weapons fling around what are essentially miniature stars. This weapon deploys hydrogen gas, electrically charged to a state of near-fusion. It does almost as much damage as the Tachyon Cannon, but at a slower rate, using slower projectiles, and requiring quite a lot more energy. By 2681 it had been almost totally retired, with the sole exception of the Heavy Plasma Cannon mounted on the Devastator heavy bomber; this weapon fired only once every two seconds but could take apart most capital ships with eight or ten well-placed shots. The Nephilim, first encountered in the 2680s, retained the "light" version of the weapon as an anti-fighter weapon. * fission Cannon: mounted only on a few Top-Secret black-ops fighters, the Fission Cannon was notable for its ability to charge its projectiles for increased damage. As with the Charging Mass Driver, a single well-aimed burst could totally knock out many ships. When not being charged, the Fission Cannon was an unremarkable weapon known for its slow refire rate. * Electron Gun: * Flux Cannon: * Mass Accelerator Gun: * Matter Disruptor: * Sonic Accelerator: this gun presumably was useless in the vacuum of space. Little else is known. * Fusion Cannon: * Leech Gun: this weapon was able to overload the electronic systems of enemy fighter craft, leaving them floating in space for salvage or capture. * Stormfire Cannon: essentially a space-going machine gun, this weapon fired solid-state projectiles that were much smaller than Mass Driver rounds. Their enhanced muzzle velocity made up for their lesser mass, however, and in the hands of a sharp pilot (and mounted on a maneuverable fighter), the Stormfire cannon could deliver a surprising amount of damage in long bursts of continuous fire. The Stormfire Mk II, introduced in 2681, had a smaller ammunition pool (400) and a slower refire rate (approx. 3 rounds/sec) but did more damage. The stormfire was a particularly valuable emplacement for atmospheric missions, in which its automatic fire could be used to strafe ground targets. * Maser: a portmanteau of microwave laser, this weapon was the standard armament for most Nephilim fighter craft. It fired focused beams of microwaves and came in two versions: Light (which was a bit stronger than the standard Confed laser cannon) and Heavy (which equaled the Ion Cannon's power). * "Shield Killer": a Nephilim weapon mounted solely by the Lamprey interceptor. Either one large cannon or a set of small ones that fired a ring of whitish bolts, this weapon was described by Confederate technicians as having the effect of totally disrupting fighter-based shielding systems. Pilots wondered just exactly what the technicians were studying: in combat, the weapon had very little practical effect. * Quantum Disruptor: a Nephilim weapon mounted solely by the Squid interceptor. This cannon's energy bolts are said to cause minute oscillations in the target ship's molecular structure, leading to the ship essentially shaking itself apart. As such, they were extremely effective against unshielded hull. Fortunately, shielded hull withstood the weapon much better, and the Squid's own characteristics prevented most Nephilim pilots from landing killing shots. * Chain Ion Cannon: though based on Ion technology, this weapon is very different than the standard cannon. Introduced in 2681, it fires a rapid stream of slow-moving projectiles. Energy consumption is minimal and damage is significant, though the blasts themselves can be hard to land due to their decreased speed. * Cloudburst Emission System: described in WCP:SO lore as an "Electric Discharge Weapon." It fires extremely swift projectiles at a slow refire rate; the projectiles do massive damage but require appropriately large energy inputs. This weapon replaced tachyon guns on the "black" variant of the Panther fighter. * Dust Cannon: a variant on mass driver systems that, like the stormfire weapon, results in small, rapid-firing projectiles. It also finally answers the question of where mass drivers get their mass: according to WCP:SO literature, the Dust Cannon obtains mass from "the exhaust filter of the ship's core," whereas normal stormfire guns require "ammunition tanks." In practical terms, the Dust Cannon fires so quickly it practically has no ammunition reserve and can drain a ship's gun capacitors dry in one or two seconds of continuous fire--but does so much damage with its rapid bursts that, in general, a full capacitor is all that is necessary to send just about any foe packing. * Pulse Particle Cannon: another modification to yield a rapid-fire cannon, nothing else is known about the Pulse Particle weapon system. Capital Ship * Anti-Matter Gun * Capital Ship Missile * Laser Battery * Heavy Ion Cannon Special * Particle Accelerator Gun * Phase Transit Cannon: The Phase Transit cannon was a massive Capital ship weapon used primarily to combat other capital ships. Used only on the Concordia in Wing Commander II, whatever capital ship it was fired at usually was destroyed on impact. * Steltek Gun * Temblor Bomb * Genselect Bioweapon * Nephilim Plasma Weapon Vehicles Ground Vehicles Confed Assault Walker Large, mech-like all-terrain vehicles that are as well armed and armored as a corvette. They are carried to planet surfaces by heavy-weapon landers. Walkers played a prominent role in the Confederation assault on Vukar Tag. (End Run, page 125). Kilrathi Drill Tank Kilrathi marines used these unusual, ungainly-looking vehicles during the Battle of Repleetah. Literally tanks with large drills instead of turrets, they proved useful in breaking through Terran trenches but proved vulnerable to demolition explosives issued to Confed marines. (Wing Commander Academy, Episode 4: Word of Honor). Kilrathi Medium Tank Used to defend Vukar Tag in 2667. (End Run, p. 126). Unidentified WCIII Kilrathi Tank Used to defend various Kilrathi planets. (Wing Commander III, various planetary missions). Unidentified WCIV Tank These dual-cannon hovertanks were used during the Circe V civil war of 2673. (Wing Commander IV, Circe Thread Introduction). Starships All Confederation starship names are preceded with "TCS" (Terran Confederation Ship). All Kilrathi starship names are preceded with "KIS" (Kilrathi Imperial Ship). All Border Worlds Union starship names are preceded with "BWS" (Border Worlds Ship). The Nephilim do not seem to have a name prefix or even individual names for their starships. This is not by any means an exhaustive list. It is currently being reorganized so that it lists by class with notable examples rather than by individual ships. Capital Ships Battleships *Battleship Carriers *Bengal-class strike carrier; Notable example is [[TCS Tiger's Claw|TCS Tiger's Claw]] (CV-07) *Escort Carrier- [[TCS Tarawa|TCS Tarawa]] (CVE-8) *Confederation Light Carrier; a notable example is [[TCS Victory|TCS Victory]] (CV-40) *Concordia class fleet carrier- Class Leader: TCS Concordia *Vesuvius-class Heavy Carrier- [[TCS Vesuvius|TCS Vesuvius]] (CV-70). *Midway-class Heavy Carrier- [[TCS Midway|TCS Midway]] (CVX-1) *Durango-class Heavy Destroyer/Light Carrier- [[BWS Intrepid (CV-06)|BWS Intrepid]] (CV-06) *Snakeir-class Carrier *Shiraak-class Carrier- KIS Shiraak *Bhantkara-class Heavy Carrier Corvettes *Venture-class Corvette *Kamekh-class Corvette Cruisers *[[TCS Concordia|TCS Concordia]] *[[TCS Tallahassee|TCS Tallahassee]] *[[TCS Waterloo|TCS Waterloo]] *[[TCS Plunkett|TCS Plunkett]] *[[TCS Cerberus|TCS Cerberus]] (Hades class but the only one of its class). *[[KIS Fralthi|KIS Fralthi]] *[[KIS Fralthra|KIS Fralthra]] Destroyers *[[TCS Gilgamesh|TCS Gilgamesh]] *[[TCS Sheffield|TCS Sheffield]] *[[TCS Murphy|TCS Murphy]] *KIS Ralari *KIS Ralatha *Kilrathi destroyer-escort *Kilrathi destroyer Dreadnoughts *[[TCS Confederation|TCS Confederation]]. CVS-65 [[TCS Concordia|TCS Concordia]] is a notable example. *[[KIS Sivar|KIS Sivar]] *[[KIS Hvar'Kann|KIS Hvar'Kann]] *''Behemoth'' Starfighters Since Wing Commander is a game about starfighters, it would make sense that such craft are quite heavily represented; and indeed they are, usually between ten and twenty types per game, including four to six pilotable ones. Pre-2650s =Confederation = * Corsair fighter * Wildcat fighter * Falcon fighter-bomber * Gladiator bomber * Gotha surface-to-space interceptor * Hummer light recon fighter * Hurricane fighter * Minotaur fighter * Trident heavy bomber =Kilrathi Empire = * Asjaka bomber * Gamora bomber * Kala fighter * Vak fighter 2650s era Starfighters =Confederation = * Hornet Light Fighter * CF-105 Scimitar Medium Fighter * F-44A Rapier II Medium Fighter * Raptor Heavy Fighter =Kilrathi = * KF-227 Salthi light fighter * Dralthi medium fighter * KF-402 Krant Medium Fighter * Jalthi Heavy Fighter * Gratha Heavy Fighter * Hhriss Medium Fighter 2660s era Starfighters =Confederation = (Wing Commander II) * P-64C/D P-64 Ferret Light Fighter * F-54C F-54 Epee Light Fighter * F-44G F-44A Rapier II Medium Fighter * F-57A F-57 Sabre Heavy Fighter * Morningstar heavy fighter * Wraith medium fighter * A-17 Broadsword heavy bomber * YA-18 Crossbow Bomber (Wing Commander Armada) * Arrow light fighter * Phantom light fighter * Wraith medium fighter * Gladius heavy fighter * Banshee fighter-bomber (Wing Commander Privateer) * Stiletto light fighter * Broadsword bomber * Gladius light fighter * Talon light fighter (Wing Commander III) * Arrow light fighter * F-86 Hellcat V Medium Fighter * HF-66 Thunderbolt VII Heavy Fighter * F-103 Excalibur Heavy Fighter * F/A-76 Longbow Bomber =Kilrathi = (Wing Commander II) * Sartha light fighter * Drakhri medium fighter * Jalkehi Heavy Fighter * Strakha stealth fighter * Grikath Heavy Fighter * Gothri Heavy Fighter * Jrathek Medium Fighter * Bloodfang Mk. I superfighter (Wing Commander Armada) * Dralthi III light fighter * Shok'lar medium stealth fighter * Jrathek medium fighter * Kor'larh heavy fighter * Goran fighter-bomber (Wing Commander Privateer) * Salthi light fighter (export only) * Dralthi VI medium fighter * Dralthi VII medium fighter * Gothri Heavy Fighter (Wing Commander III) * Darket light fighter * Ekapshi Light Atmospheric Fighter * Dralthi IV medium fighter * Strakha stealth fighter * K'ha Haf asteroid camouflage fighter * Vaktoth heavy fighter * Paktahn bomber * Sorthak Super Heavy Fighter * Bloodfang Mk. II superfighter =Civilian = * C-1000 Tarsus class scout * Demon light fighter * Talon light fighter * Orion class gunship * Model 2069 Centurion class heavy fighter * Galaxy class merchant ship 2670s era Starfighters (Wing Commander IV) =Confederation = * Arrow light fighter * F-86 Hellcat V medium fighter * HF-66 Thunderbolt heavy fighter * F-103 Excalibur heavy fighter * F/A-76 Longbow bomber * F-104 Bearcat interceptor =Union of Border Worlds = * Banshee light fighter * Vindicator medium fighter * F-104 Bearcat interceptor * Avenger bomber =Black Lance = * Dragon Heavy Fighter Pirates * Razor light fighter 2680s era Starfighters (Wing Commander Prophecy/Secret Ops) =Confederation = * F-66D Thunderbolt heavy fighter * F-103D Excalibur heavy fighter * F-106 Piranha light scout fighter * F/A-105 Tigershark multirole fighter * F-110 Wasp interceptor * F-108 Panther medium fighter * F-109 Vampire heavy fighter * TB-81 Shrike medium bomber * TB-80 Devastator heavy bomber =Kilrathi = * Dralthi medium fighter * Vaktoth heavy fighter =Nephilim = * Skate light fighter * Moray medium fighter * Manta heavy fighter * Devil Ray heavy fighter * Squid interceptor * Lamprey interceptor * Ray Interceptor Cluster * Stingray interceptor Category:Technology